Just As Bad
by DenniBenni
Summary: AU. After a mission gone wrong, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd are left to search for the missing Batman, and to find out what exactly The Joker has planned.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: AU. After a mission gone wrong, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd are left to search for the missing Batman, and to find out what exactly The Joker has planned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or its characters! DC people do…

* * *

He was choking. Choking on the smoke that filled the flame engulfed room. His brain begged for oxygen as he looked around frantically. He was so confused from the lack of air. _"Where is Batman?" _He thought to himself.

They had been on a normal mission. Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne. A.K.A. Robin and Batman. They were just on patrol when they had gotten word that The Joker had escaped from Arkham Asylum. They had followed the trail here…to the warehouse.

Once they were inside though a voice came over the intercom. Tim couldn't remember exactly what the evil voice had said, _"Going to cook you up just like the other little birdie!" _Yes…maybe something of that sort.

He stumbled over a piece of debris that fell from the ceiling. It was completely collapsing, but he was so oxygen starved he couldn't think straight. The bomb…the bomb had gone off to the right of him…maybe that's why his ear wouldn't stop ringing…

He gasped when he felt a burning sensation on his neck. _Ow! _Small flames were falling around him. He couldn't breath. It was getting harder…to breath…to think…

He collapsed on his hands and knees and looked around. His arm hurt. No Batman anywhere. They had gotten separated during the loud sound…an explosion…Yes, an explosion. _"Think Tim think! Focus!" _He mentally screamed.

Still no Batman. He tried crawling, but only collapsed onto his side. He gasped, each breath only filling his lungs with more smoke. His vision blurred as he watched the room begin to disintegrate into the flames.

His hands burned from the fire going through his gloves. His legs and arms burned. _"This is it," _he thought. _"Going to burn up just like the other birdie."_

Before he lost consciousness though, he saw a dark figure above him…then the world went black.

* * *

Jason Todd had witnessed the explosion. He had been tracking down The Joker ever since he found out the maniac had escaped his prison cell. _"Fair game," _he thought when he heard about it.

He had made it to the warehouse only to discover the old man and the brat had already made it there before him. He groaned in anger and watched as they slipped inside. But…only minutes later, was there an explosion.

He had to hide behind shipping crates to get away from the stray debris. _"Damn," _he thought to himself. That had to have killed them…it had to have killed them…

He stood and saw the building engulfed in flames. He could already tell it was going to collapse by the sounds it was making. After about two minutes no one came out.

"_They're dead anyway," _he thought shaking his head. _"They're most likely dead, no reason to get involved."_

He stood there a few more seconds before growling to himself, "don't do it Jason…"

But, he didn't even listen to his own commands. He shot out a line and made it to one of the higher windows. He could already feel the heat radiating off the side of the building. He was very thankful for his helmet keeping his face cool.

He slipped inside and tried his best to look around the smoke haze of the room. It was hot. Really hot, almost like Summer. Even though outside it was the middle of January. His eyes scanned from under the helmet and mask. All he could really see was smoke and red.

His eyes settled on something in the middle of the room. A figure laying limply on the floor staring at the ceiling. Jason knew it was the kid, but his eyes seemed so glazed over as if he wasn't all there.

Jason looked around again not seeing any sign of Batman. _"He must be dead," _he thought. He couldn't help the tinge of pain in his chest, but he could ignore it well enough.

Jason jumped from the place by the window and rushed over to the kid. He had to climb over an awful lot of debris just to get to him. But, by the time he did, he noticed the kid wasn't awake anymore. Quickly Jason picked his up and slung him over his shoulder. If the kid had broken bones they would have to deal.

He quickly rushed back to the window with the fourteen year old over his shoulder. He climbed out and immediately felt the cold air hit him hard. Shooting his grappling gun to the closest building , he flew himself and the Tim to safety.

Once they landed on the roof, Jason laid him down. He felt to make sure the kid was breathing. He bit his lip when he found no breath exiting Tim's lungs. And no heart beat in his chest.

Instinct and training instantly kicked in. He took off his helmet and adjusted Tim to the right position. He then began CPR. He started with chest compressions and would move to the mouth, then back to chest compressions.

"_Twenty nine, thirty, breath," _he mentally repeated over and over.

Why he was trying so hard for the kid to live? Well he didn't know. He was just blaming it on instinct to do the CPR. But, on the other hand it could be that, he knew Dick would absolutely murder him if he just let the kid die.

Not like he was scared of his older "brother" or anything…

Jason then focused on what he was doing. The kid's heart still hadn't started back up and he was getting ready to stop. He couldn't do this forever…

Suddenly Jason stopped the CPR when he noticed Tim's chest starting to rise and fall on its own. He sighed and sat down on his bottom taking in some oxygen of his own. He looked back to the building. _"Still no sign of the old man," _he thought.

He looked at the small teen in front of him. He noticed how young and frail he looked right now. Especially how pale he was. Of course he would be though, his heart just stopped for five minutes…

Silently Jason stood and leaned over picking the teen up. Where would he take him? The hospital? The cave? He shook his head. He had no idea. Maybe just the hospital. He knew a girl there who owed him a favor. He could call Dick once he got the kid help.

* * *

Jason had called the girl named Camilla Rams. The blonde set up the room quickly. She owed Jason this favor. The man had, after all, literally saved her. Some guys were going to do God knows what to her when they jumped her in an alley way. He said to never talk about it. But, now he was coming to get his favor filled.

Camilla also wasn't supposed to talk about the few nights they had spent together…

She finished setting up the bed and laid a white hospital gown nearby. _"There," _she thought silently.

She jumped when there was a knock from the window. She looked up and saw The Red Hood there, and she could see something, or someone in his arms. She rushed over to the window and opened it letting him into the hospital.

She looked at the boy in his arms. He had a large gash across his forehead and it was bleeding. He seemed to have burns and holes in his costume. She whispered, "oh my God…that's Robin."

Jason nodded, "yeah, look the kid is pretty bad off. We just need to get him out of these clothes so no one knows who he is. Once he's changed sign him in as a normal patient."

The woman nodded quickly and pointed at the bed. Jason silently walk over to it and laid the boy down. He took off his own helmet and mask. Camilla whispered, "I can set him up if you need to call anyone."

Jason nodded and pointed to the trash, "make sure once that costume is off, you throw it away there. And make sure you are the only one who takes it out. Understand? No one finds it."

The blonde nods quickly her blue eyes slightly fearful. Jason sticks his helmet and mask under the bed and walks out with his phone in hand.

Once he's in the hallway he dials a number. Dick Grayson's.

* * *

Dick Grayson sat up in bed quickly when he heard his phone ringing. He had finally gotten a night to rest, but it had to be interrupted by such an annoying sound. He groaned in displeasure and reached over to the bedside table grabbing the phone.

"Hello?" He answered in a groggy voice.

"_Dick, we need to talk," _he heard a voice on the other end say. He knew the voice. Jason Todd's.

Dick sighed, "what Jason? I'm finally catching up on some really needed rest."

"_Dick…you need to come down to Gotham Memorial Hospital, right now," _Jason's voice sounded almost…worried?

Dick instantly noticed something. Jason was calling him by his name. Not Dickie bird. Just Dick. What was wrong with this picture?

The older instantly stood and started grabbing clothes. He asked, "what happened?"

"_It's the kid…and the old man," _the voice replied.

Dick immediately started to go faster, "what happened to them?"

"_I'll explain when you get here," _after that dial tone…

Dick growled and threw the phone. It slammed against the wall, but he didn't pay it any attention. He continued to get his clothes on. He slipped on some jeans and a pull over, along with some shoes. He didn't even both with his hair. He grabbed his keys and walked out of the apartment thinking, _"It'll be ok."_

* * *

Jason hung up the phone and returned to the room. Camilla had a clipboard now and was writing things down. Jason looked at the boy on the bed. He was now changed into the hospital gown and under the covers. She said, "I told my boss you were here. He's on his way up to check on the child. But, someone needs to fill out the papers…"

"His brother is on his way," Jason said simply.

She bit his lip, "Jason you don't understand. I told my boss the boy needs surgery. His arm does anyway. It's broken…"

"_The explosion," _Jason thought. He must have gotten thrown during it.

"And he has some glass shards in his head that need tending to. He probably has more, we'll need x-rays for that, but someone needs to fill these out, just for the time being. If something's wrong with the papers his brother can fix it," she said handing the clip board to Jason.

He watched as Camilla placed an oxygen mask on Tim's face. He looked down at the paper. He didn't know all the answers to the questions, but he knew enough. Name, birth day, age, but he didn't know if the kid was allergic to anything. Or what his social security number was.

Jason started to fill it out when two doctors walked in. They immediately went to Tim and Jason stood in a protective stance. Camilla walked over and grabbed his arm, "you need to go to the lobby now."

Jason hesitated but, looked at the girl that was a year younger than himself. Soon he nodded and walked out of the room to the lobby. There he continued filling out the papers.

**Name: Timothy Jackson Drake**

**Birth Date: July 19****th**_(AN: I don't know this for sure. I read it somewhere.)_

**Age: Fourteen**

That was about all Jason could answer. He didn't know enough about Tim to answer many more. He looked up when he felt someone looking at him. Camilla was standing there in her blue scrubs looking down at him.

"Well?" Jason asked slightly annoyed by the way she was just standing there. He hadn't realized he had been in the lobby awhile.

"Um, the doctors said that he'll need surgery on his arm tomorrow around lunch. They're removing the glass from his head, and they think there is some damage to his right ear. He has a third degree burn on his ribcage, and a second degree burn on his neck. The rest are minor burns, like on his hands and legs. He also has a severe concussion and four broken ribs."

Jason blinked processing the information that was just given to him. He asked, "but, he's going to be ok?"

She bit her lip, "the doctor said once he wakes up he should be fine. But, he needs to regain consciousness before we can know for sure."

With that the woman turned and walked away with the clipboard. Jason only got a few moments of silence before he saw Dick enter through the sliding glass doors. The older instantly saw Jason and rushed over to him.

"What happened?" He tried not to sound angry.

"The kid is here. He's pretty beat up," Jason replied.

Dick sat down in the chair next to Jason and glared at him, "that doesn't answer my question."

Jason sighed and told Dick everything thing that had happened. He didn't leave anything out knowing Dick would find out if he did. Once Jason finished he saw the absolute terror on Dick's face, but the older was trying to hide it.

Dick's mind raced. Was Bruce actually dead? Did he get out? Was he _actually_ dead?

These are the questions that were bothering him. He leaned over and placed his head in his hands, putting his elbows on his knees. This was bad. This was worse then bad…

He shook his head, "Bruce can't be dead, Jason."

Jason tried to act nonchalant about it, but he couldn't hide that he was shocked too. He just stayed silent and let Dick ponder on his thoughts.

Because in reality…that's really all he could do…

* * *

I hope you like it. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Tim's mind awoke before his body. He hurt, that's pretty much all he could process. There was a horrible pounding in his head, and his arm. He hurt…a lot…

He could hear voices in the room. He knew one right away. It was Dick's. His brother. But, the other took a little longer to place…Jason?

He wiggled his fingers on his right hand since his left seemed to me incased in something hard. He wiggled his toes that felt like they were covered by a blanket. His mind races with a sort of fear that he couldn't move.

He could hear a heart monitor beeping. It must be his heart. He gripped the bed sheet and heard Dick say, "they didn't find a body?"

There was a moment of silence, then Jason's voice said, "no, nothing. Bruce's body isn't in the warehouse, Dick. Chances are the body burned up."

Tim felt his heart speed up and he could hear the heart monitor doing the same. He couldn't open his eyes. He didn't have the strength, but he wiggled his fingers. He heard Jason ask, "what's wrong?"

He felt the weight on the bed shift and someone pushes his bangs back. It was Dick. "I don't know. Maybe he's having a bad dream?"

"Or he heard us," Jason said.

Tim felt someone place a kiss on his forehead, "Tim…are you awake?"

Tim then wielded his eyes to open. The blue orbs fluttered and over him he saw Dick. Tim's eyes were watering, was Bruce dead? Was he really dead? He remembered the fire. The explosion. Someone over him…

He croaked, "he's not dead."

Dick bit his lip hearing his little brother's words. "Timmy…Bruce he… you have to understand-"

Tim interrupted with, "he's not dead."

Dick didn't say anything else. Just nodded and ran his fingers through his brother's hair. "Are you in pain?"

Tim shook his head even though he was. He didn't want any medicine that would make him tired. "Can I sit up?" He asked.

Dick nodded and pressed a button causing the bed to slowly rise. Once he was sitting up Tim could see Jason. He raised an eyebrow ignoring the tugging feeling from his forehead. There must be stitches there. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Jason had his hands shoved in his pockets and he just shrugged. That was the only answer Tim got, and he knew he wasn't going to get anymore then that.

Tim inspected himself. His left arm was in a cast. His hands had some kind of sticky medicine on them and they were wrapped in a thin gauze. Must be burns…

He wiggled his toes, still ten, ten fingers. Ok, that was good. He touched his forehead where he suspected the stitches were. But, all he felt was a rectangular bandage.

Tim couldn't help but touch his right ear. While the two men had been talking he had noticed he couldn't hear well. Plus, it kept ringing and he didn't like it. Dick moved his hand away from it and said, "don't touch it. They just did surgery on it."

"Why?" Tim asked.

"The explosion did some damage. They fixed it, but they said it will hurt for awhile," Dick explained.

Tim sighed trying to ignore the ringing. He touched his ribcage and winced. Broken ribs, he recognized the feeling. "How long was I out for?" Tim asked.

Dick glanced at Jason and sighed, "four weeks and two days."

Tim's eyes widened. Then he shook his head. "And…you still haven't heard from…him."

Dick shook his head solemnly. Tim gulped trying to fight back the lump in his throat. "O-ok," Tim whispered.

He felt gross. Like he hadn't showered in days. His hair was greasy and he sighed, "do you think I'm ok enough to take a shower?"

The two men glanced at each other and Jason said, "I'll go find Camilla."

He then walked out of the room.

Once he was gone Tim asked, "what was he doing here?"

Dick gently reached out, pushing some of Tim's bangs away from his face. "He found you in the warehouse. He saved you."

"He saved me?" Tim asked surprised.

Dick nodded, "yeah, your heart stopped and he did CPR. He brought you back."

Tim thought a moment. The person standing over him…that must have been Jason. At first in his head he thought it might have been Batman. But, no…it was Jason…

"I should tell him thanks," Tim mumbled.

Dick smiled a little, "you should."

Tim's head snapped up when someone entered the room. A blonde woman and Jason. He guessed the woman must be Camilla. She held out her hand and smiled at him, Tim took it and shook it back.

"Hi Tim, my names Camilla Rams," she greeted almost shyly.

Tim smiled a little, "Tim Drake…but I guess you knew that."

She nodded, "so Jason said you wanted to take a shower?"

The boy nodded and she continued, "well, I asked my boss and he said it should be fine. There are some cast covers in the bathroom and a chair in the shower. He said the soap shouldn't bother your stitches and we can rewrap the gauze once you get out."

Tim nodded thankfully. He really wanted a shower. The woman helped him stand from the bed. He kept himself pretty steady and she walked him into the bathroom showing him where everything was and took off his gauze. Then showed him the emergency button in case he fell.

Once she left the bathroom, Tim sighed quietly. He undressed and put the cover on his arm cast. Silently he turned the shower on and climbed in. He sat on the chair and let the water pour over him. Bliss…

He washed his greasy hair and noticed he still had a few places where dirt was. It was no surprise, they only clean where they do the surgeries at. He watched the dirty water run down the drain and thought_, "what if Bruce is dead? What if he's really not coming back? I don't know…what will happen to me then?"_

He bit his lip as his eyes began to water. He couldn't help the grief that was threatening to consume him. He had lost both of his parents and now his surrogate father. God, what was he going to do?

He jumped when there was a knock at the door. _"Timmy, you ok?"_ It was Dick's voice. Quickly he wiped the tears from his eyes even though they weren't noticeable in the shower.

He called out over the water, "yeah, I'm fine!"

He turned off the water and climbed out. He dried off and changed into some clothes Dick had brought him. A grey t-shirt and some black sweat pants. Slowly he opened the bathroom door and Camilla was there to help him back into bed. She put medicine on all of his burns and rewrapped the wounds, along with placing a bandage on his head where the stitched were.

He adjusted himself in the bed and Camilla said, "there you go, lunch should be here in a few minutes."

With that she walked out, giving Jason a small smiled. Tim smirked a little. She looked like she liked him. And given that he didn't really glare at her the way he did most people, he must not completely dislike her either.

Silently Tim ran his hand over the bed sheets. Just thinking. He was trying to ignore the silence in the room. The two men seemed to be standing awkwardly around and Tim just wanted to keep himself occupied.

Slowly he looked up at Jason and whispered, "thank you."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "for what?"

"For saving me," Tim replied.

Jason glared at Dick, "you told him?"

Dick nodded and Jason's face seemed to contort into anger. It gave Tim a bad feeling and he bit his lip. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything about it at all. Nothing might have been better.

Before they could get into an argument Tim asked, "when can I go home?"

Both men looked at him quickly and Dick sighed, "I'm not sure, the doctor said it depends on how well you're doing. A few days maybe."

Tim rolled his eyes, "I've had worse injuries than this."

The boy seemed to shrink when he saw Dick glare at him. "You almost died, Tim."

"But, I didn't," Tim stated.

"You almost did."

Tim shrugged, "I almost die anytime I walk out of the house, Dick. Everyone takes that risk when going to the outside world. It happens."

Dick leaned forward and whispered, "not everyone almost burns to death in a fire."

Tim's eyes shifted from Dick's angry face to Jason's. This was uncomfortable considering Jason technically burned to death.

Tim slowly put his eyes back on Dick. "Right…not everyone. But, I'm not like everyone. Not everyone wears a costume and fights bad guys at night. Not everyone is an orphan. So yes…I'm not like everyone. Naturally these things are going to happen."

Dick leaned back away from Tim and sighed. He didn't know what else to tell him. "Just rest and take it easy, Tim. You need to let your wounds heal."

Tim nodded mutely and ran a hand through his damp hair. He jumped when there was sudden knock at the door. A woman with red hair came in an gave him his lunch. She kind of creeped Tim out by the way she was making goofy eyes at Dick and Jason.

He looked at the food. Uh…it was kind of gross looking. He didn't even know what it was. "What is this?" He kind of laughed at how disgusting it was. And being Robin for so long, he's seen some nasty things.

He poked it and Dick spoke, "food, that you need to eat, not poke."

Tim studied it. He took his fork and stuck it in the food. Slowly he took a bite. Quickly he grabbed a napkin and spit it out. Nasty…

"Tim…" Dick said quietly. Dick wanted Tim to eat something. He needed to eat to get better.

Tim shook his head, "sorry…it's gross. Can I just eat the peas instead?"

"You're going to ask him what you can and can't eat?" Jason asked.

Tim glared, "fine, I'll just eat the peas."

"Jason," Dick growled in frustration.

"What's the matter Dickie Bird, losing control of the situation?" Jason asked.

Dick rolled his eyes and looked back at Tim who was eating the peas silently. Once he finished he drank the carton of milk and set the food on the table next to him. He looked at the window. It looked so nice outside. To bad he was locked in the damn hospital bed…

This sucked…

* * *

5 DAYS LATER

_It burned. Everything around him was engulfed in flames. How had he gotten back into the fire? He didn't know…he was having trouble breath. He called out, "Batman!" He needed to find Bruce. Dick and Jason thought he was dead, but he couldn't be._

"_Bruce!" He called out again, this time using the man's real name. He was getting desperate. He couldn't breath, the air was getting to thick with smoke…his lings felt like they were on fire._

_He heard a loud crash behind him and quickly turned around. Nothing, but a wall of fire. When turned back around and stepped back when he saw the figure that was suddenly in front of him. Bruce…_

"_Bruce?" Tim gasped out on account of the smoke. _

_The man seemed to be glaring at him and that made Tim nervous. He never used that glare on any of them. Only the baddies. _

"_You abandoned me," Bruce growled from under his Batman mask._

_Tim bit his lip and whispered, "I didn't…I didn't mean to Bruce. I was dying-"_

_He was cut off when Bruce's hand suddenly wrapped around his throat. He gasped having even more trouble getting oxygen._

"_I could probably just let the smoke kill you. But, I wouldn't get the pleasure in watching you gasp," Bruce said._

_Tim clawed at the hand that was around his throat. He tried desperately to kick him away, but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. _

"_Please…Bruce," Tim gasped. All he got was an evil smile that stretched across the man's lips. Suddenly that smile turned into the smile of a clown. Now the Joker held his throat._

"_Let…go!" Tim screamed as loud as he could and the face laughed loudly. A crazy laugh that only one man could make. Only The Joker can laugh like that and send chills up his spine even though the room was so hot._

_Then the face melted away into a red helmet. The Red Hood stood there laughing….Jason. Hadn't Dick said Jason had saved him? Why would he be trying to kill him again if…_

_Then the face changed again…this time into Dick's face. Tim stopped struggling immediately and tears pricked his eyes. "Dick…" he rasped out._

_Dick had a smile on his face and Tim shook his head frantically, "no! No! No! No…"_

_Suddenly, Dick's mouth opened and said, "wake up Timmy."_

_Tim looked at the face confused, but his vision faded from the lack of oxygen…_

Tim's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed. He was gasping and holding his neck trying to get whatever was keeping air from getting to his lungs away. He felt warm tears on his face and he didn't like it…

The room was dim besides a lamp next to the bed. Tim could feel someone hugging him. He was against someone's chest. They were rubbing his back and whispering soft words. Tim relaxed…Dick…

"Shhh, you're ok buddy, you're ok," Dick said quietly into his brother's hair. The teen was shaking uncontrollably at the moment and breathing quickly as if he was having a panic attack.

Tim nodded understanding. A dream…just a dream. That was all. Bruce hadn't tried to kill him. Neither had Dick. And well…Jason had tried to kill him before, but he wasn't right now, so that was good.

They sat like that awhile before Tim pulled away and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Dick shook his head, "it's fine, just a nightmare. I get them too."

Tim rolled his eyes, "but you don't wake up crying."

Dick raised and eyebrow and Tim shook his head. He shouldn't have said that. He looked around the room, no Jason, he must have left.

"He had some business to take care of," Dick said in an annoyed tone.

Tim looked surprised at how Dick knew what he was wondering. "Why do you sound annoyed?"

Dick shook his head and gently pushed Tim back into a laying down position. "Go back to sleep Timmy. You get to leave tomorrow."

Tim nodded and closed his eyes, soon he drifted off into sleep…

* * *

Hope you liked it. Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Tim had been staying at Dick's apartment until they figured everything out with Bruce. He sat in the guest bedroom, the phone pressed closely to his ear. Yet, he didn't say anything, because technically he wasn't supposed to be listening to the conversation that was going on in the other room.

"_Still nothing?" _Dick's voice asked.

"_Nothing…I don't think they're going to find anything. I've been tracking The Joker and the trail has gone completely cold," _Jason replied.

Tim bit his lip. He raised and eyebrow when Jason's voice asked, _"how's the kid?"_

"_As well as can be expected. He's quiet, quieter than even his normal self is. If that's possible," _Dick's voice spoke.

"_Well, the trail went cold on the south side of the city at dock 13, so I'm going to head over there tonight," _Jason said.

"_Alight, call if you find something, I'd come with, but I don't think I should leave Timmy alone," _Dick said.

"_Understandable. I'll call once I find something," _then Tim heard the dial tone.

He quickly snapped the phone back onto the holder and put it on the bedside table. He sighed quietly. Well that sucked. Nothing about Bruce. Nothing at all. Oh well, at least he had something to do tonight, he would head down the docks.

* * *

Tim waited until he knew Dick was asleep before he put on his costume and slipped out the window. It felt nice to be back in costume, even if it was his spare. It didn't matter, it was just like his other one.

He shot his grappling gun from building to building and soared gracefully through the bone chilling Gotham air. He knew when he was getting to the south side, because he began to smell the sea water.

Before getting to Dock 13, he stopped on Dock 11. Pulling out his binoculars he checked to see if Jason was there. Sure enough, he was perched on top of the building. He didn't want to surprise Jason and then get is butt kicked, so he threw a batarang and it landed right next to the older man. Then he swung over to the next building.

He landed on the building with a soft thud and heard Jason say, "I doubt Dickie Bird knows you're here."

Tim smirked and kneeled next to the older man, "nope, he doesn't, but that's ok. He'll find out, and plus, I left a note saying I had some business to take care of."

Jason shook his head, "he's going to kill you."

Tim scoffed, "everyone knows he doesn't kill, Jason. Do your research."

Even though Tim couldn't see under the helmet he knew Jason had rolled his eyes. Tim leaned over the side of the building and asked, "so you find anything?"

"No, why would I still be sitting here if I had?"

"Just trying to make conversation, bro," Tim mumbled.

"I'm not your "bro"," Jason growled annoyed.

Tim shook his head, "legally you are."

"Shut up."

"Fine."

Tim looked down and bit his lip. Why was it he could never have a conversation with Jason without them bickering with one another? Oh well, that doesn't matter right now since five men are starting to load boxes onto a boat.

"What is in these things anyway?" One of the men asked in a thick Italian voice.

Another man replied, "hell if I know, boss said just to load it up on the boats, and not to drop anything."

As if on cue one of the boxes opened and out fell about three teddy bears. One of the mean picked it up. Jason and Tim watched as the bear suddenly spit out a gas causing the man to fall over in hysterical laughter.

Tim looked at Jason, "definitely The Joker."

One of the other guys dragged the laughing man away and they continued to quickly, but carefully load the boat. They didn't stop, even though they had a look of fear on their faces.

"What do we do?" Tim asked Jason.

Jason shrugged, "jump in!"

Tim tried to stop Jason, but the man had already jumped down to the dock. He leaned on one of the crates and greeted, "hello boys!"

Tim followed him and one of the men asked, "what the hell are you doin' with the Robin kid, Hood?"

Jason growled, "what the hell are you doing working for The Joker? I thought you were better than that, Donny."

Jason pulled out a gun and placed his finger on the trigger, as soon as he pulled it Tim pushed his hand out of the way causing him to miss. "What the hell, kid?"

Jason grabbed the boy by his hair and threw him onto the ground. "Never touch the gun," Jason growled.

"Oh don't worry Hood, that ought to be the last mistake you both make," Donny said smiling. He pulled out a remote and Jason's eyes widened. He knew what was about to happen.

He quickly grabbed Tim around the waist and shot the line, they started to fly in the air towards the building, but before they got to safety Donny pressed the button. It set off charges in the unopened boxes and the force threw Jason causing him to let go of the grappling gun.

Tim felt himself hit the ground hard. His head especially. His vision whirled from the sudden blow and he looked around dazed. Suddenly he saw Jason kneeling over him. Jason patted Tim's cheek and hissed, "kid! You ok?"

Tim nodded and whispered, "yeah…my head hurts."

Jason grimaced, "yeah it's bleeding, we need to get you back to Dickie Bird."

"I'm fine," Tim insisted.

Jason shook his head and helped Tim to his feet, only for the teen to almost fall over. "Woah…uh, the world is kind of tilting to the right," Tim mumbled. Jason slung the kid over his shoulder and picked up his grappling gun. The sooner he got out of here, the better.

* * *

Dick had dozed off on the couch a few hours ago. He had been doing some research on the warehouse investigation in case they had found something that Jason hadn't. But, it wasn't very likely that would happen.

He shot up into the sitting position when he heard someone knocking on his balcony door. Dick's eyes widened when he saw Jason standing there waving with something over his shoulder. He stood and wobbled a bit from the drowsiness and yanked the door open.

"Jason what the…" he trailed off when he saw Tim. Jason laid the teen on the couch. Tim was conscious, but barely, his eyes squinted. Dick went over and turned the lamp on shining the light into the room.

"What the hell happened?" Dick asked rushing over to where Tim lay. He checked the wound on his brother's head and looked back at Jason.

"He followed me to the dock," Jason tried to sound innocent in the whole situation. The last thing he needed was Dick getting mad at him. Dick walked into the kitchen and came back with a first aid kit he had gotten from the cabinet.

He cleaned Tim's wound and bandaged it. Tim stared at him as if he was confused about everything that was happening. But, sometime during everything Tim fell asleep on the couch and Dick sighed.

"How did he know where you were?" Dick asked.

Jason shrugged, "maybe he was listening to our chat earlier."

Dick slapped his forehead, "there's a phone in the guest room."

Jason nodded, "well then there you go. But, anyway, we found some stuff at the dock, but my guess is that The Joker knew we would be coming. He had charges set in the boxes and one of the guys had a remote to set them off. Back up plan I guess."

Dick nodded back, "what was in the boxes?"

"Teddy bears with laughing gas inside of them. Probably in case someone opened the boxes," Jason answered.

Dick rubbed his face with his hand and glanced at the clock. 2:22 A.M. He sighed, "well, I think I'm going to hit the hay, like Timmy here."

Jason nodded and turned walking out of the apartment. Before he left he turned around and said, "I did try to get the kid out all right."

Dick looked a little surprised at the words but just replied, "I know you did. And thanks."

Jason turned and shot his grappling gun. Then he was gone. Dick walked over to the door and slid it shut, then back over to Tim. He reached down and moved some of the bangs from the boy's face. He seemed a lot younger when he was sleeping. So much younger.

Dick sighed and turned walking towards the recliner. There he laid down and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Tim's eyes opened and he groaned. His head hurt a lot, and he knew he must still be in his uniform. He squinted his eyes looking at the clock that hung on the wall. 7:02 A.M. He sighed. It wasn't to early to get up he supposed, even if he had only been asleep for a few hours.

He looked at the chair by the couch and saw his brother completely asleep. He smirked at the way Dick snored. He was surprised he had managed to sleep through it. Tim silently stood from the couch and wobbled a little, but soon regained his balance. Then he headed to the bathroom.

He stripped his suit and took a shower washing the sweat off of his body and out of his hair. He liked how the soap smelled like grapes.

He only noticed the bandage that was on his head when the water had washed it off and it landed on the shower floor. He touched his forehead and hissed before picking it up and getting out of the shower. He threw it in the trash and grabbed a towel. Once finished, Tim opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out another bandage, replacing the other one.

Tim wrapped the towel around his waist and went to the guest room where his clothes were. He dressed into some jeans and a white t-shirt and threw the towel in the clothes basket that sat in the corner of the room. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and walked back to the living room.

Dick was still asleep and silently Tim went to the kitchen and made coffee. He took a few aspirins and sat on the counter top waiting for the coffee to finish. Tim looked out the window and saw Dick's neighbors. They were two kids, both girls, maybe five or six. They were kicking a soccer ball in the little area beside the apartment.

Tim pushed his bangs out of his eyes and sighed. His head was finally feeling a little better now that the medicine was kicking in. He looked up quickly when he heard someone walking in. Dick…

He was rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Hey Timmy, how's your head?" He asked walking over to where the boy sat on the counter.

"Ok, I guess," he touched his ear and just realized it was ringing. The doctor was supposed to fix that, right?

"What's wrong?" Dick asked.

Tim sighed, "my ear is ringing."

Dick nodded, "the doctor said it'll do that for awhile after surgery."

Suddenly Dick seemed to be studying his arm. "What?" Tim asked.

"Tim…where's your cast?" Dick asked.

Tim looked down and his face turned red. Oh yeah…his cast. "Well, a few days ago I hit myself in the nose with it and it started to bleed. So, I took it off. My arm feels fine," Tim answered.

Dick groaned, "Tim, the doctor said six weeks."

"It's been like three. I heal fast from all the vitamins I take, come on Dick, it's not even bruised anymore," Tim hissed.

Dick sighed and nodded, "fine, but we need to talk about last night."

Tim groaned and asked, "what is there to talk about? I followed Jason, got a little beat up. Nothing out of the usual. Well…except for the following Jason part."

"Tim, you're not understanding any of this. I don't want you to get involved here," Dick stated firmly.

Tim's jaw dropped, "what? Wait…you're telling me I have to let you and Jason find Bruce on your own."

Dick sighed and placed both hand on either side of the counter. He leaned forward and whispered, "there may not be anything left of him to find, Timmy."

Tim bit his lip and suddenly pushed Dick away from him. He left the kitchen, his coffee forgotten. "Tim," Dick said following his brother.

Tim whirled around and growled, "you're not even trying! You've given up and accepted your theory that he's dead. Well, I don't think he is. The Joker doesn't want Bruce dead, he wants to torture him. That's what he wants. What if he has Bruce somewhere?"

"Tim, listen to me. I'm not saying Bruce is dead, but I'm saying there is a chance that he is, do you understand? He could be dead, and I don't want you to be completely lost if he is," Dick stated calmly.

Tim glared and walked to the door. He put on his shoes and a coat. Dick asked, "where are you going?"

"Away from you," Tim answered angrily opening the door. Dick reached out a hand and shut it.

"Let go," Tim sounded like a feral animal.

"No," Dick said simply.

"Why?" Tim asked.

"How do I know you aren't going to go do something stupid?"

Tim glared, "I can't do that, we can only afford one stupid person in this family. But, like they say, ignorance is bliss."

Dick was surprised and let go of the door. Tim took advantage of this and yanked it open and walked out, leaving a very shocked Dick behind.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Dick had called everyone he could think of trying to find Tim. It was almost four in the morning and Tim hadn't been back yet. He was starting to get worried, until the door suddenly opened and Tim walked in. Or more like stumbled in.

Dick walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. "Tim, where were you, I was freaking out," Dick said.

Then he noticed how Tim was shaking slightly and holding his cheek. "Tim?" Dick asked. Silently, he gently took Tim's chin and pulled it upward to look at it. "Oh, Timmy what happened?"

There was a large bruise on his cheek. But, it wasn't the bruise that was worrying him. It was the tear stains on Tim's cheeks and his bloodshot eyes. Tim shook his head and suddenly wrapped his arms around Dick and cried. Dick knew Tim wasn't the kind to cry.

"Hey, Timmy what's wrong?" Dick asked quietly.

"H-he hit me. But, it's n-not that. H-he said Bruce i-is probably dead. Y-you said that t-too, but he just said it a-and hit me," Tim cried.

"Who Tim?" Dick asked.

"J-Jason," Tim muttered.

"Jason has hit you before," Dick whispered.

Tim nodded, "but it's what he said. Bruce can't be dead, Dick…he just can't be dead. I lost one father, I can't lose another. I can't lose anyone else. I'll go crazy."

"Shhh, Timmy. I know that it hurts, ok? Here come lay down," Dick whispered.

Silently Tim walked to the couch and laid down. Dick sat on the edge of the couch and ran a hand through Tim's hair. "What happened?"

Tim took a deep breath and started to explain….

_Tim knocked on the door of Jason's apartment and it swung open. There stood Jason Todd. Tim noticed he had a beer in his hand and it was kind of early to be having a beer. Tim didn't even wait for an invitation before walking in._

"_Come in?" Jason said closing the door._

_Tim turned quickly and asked, "why are you drinking so early?"_

_Jason shrugged and sat on the couch. Tim sighed and asked, "did you find anything about Bruce?"_

"_Nope, nothing, why are you here? Does Dickie Bird know where you are?" Jason asked._

_Tim shook his head, "no, we got into an argument."_

"_About what?" Jason asked._

"_None of your business, anyway, I just came to ask that, so bye," he started to walk out before Jason stood and grabbed his arm. Tim jumped slightly and pulled him arm away._

"_What is wrong with you?" Jason asked._

"_Nothing," Tim answered annoyed._

"_That's a lie," Jason said._

_Tim growled, "and you would know."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Jason asked angrily._

_Tim rolled his eyes and said, "you and Dick won't tell me anything about what happened to Bruce. You're liars, but it's no surprise. The whole reason you died in the first place was because you lied to Bruce about where you were going. And look where it got you, drinking at nine o'clock in the morning and all alone!"_

_Tim suddenly found himself on his bottom holding his cheek. It hurt. Jason had hit him hard. He looked up and saw Jason breathing heavily, "want to know the truth kid?"_

_Tim nodded trying to ignore the way his eyes were watering._

"_Bruce is most likely dead, kid. Get over it. He's probably dead and he's not coming back like I did. I won't be surprised if we never find his damn body," Jason snapped._

_Tim blinked away his tears and stood quickly before running out and slamming the door behind him…_

Tim was curled up on the couch almost asleep and he whispered, "Bruce isn't coming back now, is he?"

"We don't know that, Tim, Jason was just mad," Dick whispered kissing his brother hair.

"Yeah…I guess…" Tim yawned and soon his breathing evened out and he was asleep…

Dick sighed. He would need to have a talk with Jason…

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	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Jason sat at his dinner table staring at the newspaper. But, he wasn't reading. He was waiting. He knew Dick would be on his way any second now after what happened between himself and Tim yesterday morning. Jason had no doubt the kid had told Dick what happened and now Dick was going to be pissed about it.

Jason would never admit it out loud, but he did feel a tinge of guilt about what he had said to Tim. He had probably crushed any hope the kid had of finding Bruce alive. Oh well, you don't live off of dreams. You live off of actions. It was better the kid knew now then later. At least…that's what Jason kept telling himself.

He ran hand through his hair and thought_, "hell, no one was there to tell me I was going to be fine right before that building exploded. No one told me everything was ok. No one. So why should the kid be babied?" _

Jason didn't even flinch when the door swung open and Dick walked inside. His older, surrogate brother, wore and expression of anger. He only glanced at the older man before sighing and looking down at his paper. "Dickie Bird. What a surprise. Just kidding, I knew you were coming."

Dick glared, "do you think this is funny, Jason? Because, I sure as hell don't."

Jason shrugged, "the kid was askin' for it. He wanted the truth, I gave it to him."

Dick ran a hand through his hair, "Jason…Tim is different from you and I. Alright? He can take a lot of physical damage, but start throwing verbal things his way…it hurts him more than any punch can."

"So I hurt the kid's feelings because he can't take the verbal abuse?" Jason asked in a sarcastic voice.

Dick slammed his hands on the table, "Tim is different, Jason! Aren't you listening! He's different! When a baddie or something taunts him he doesn't care because those guys' words don't mean a damn thing to him! But, what came out of your mouth hurt him more than that bruise you left on his face. You told him he had no reason to hope for Bruce anymore…and he believes you. Do you know why, Jason?"

Jason didn't answer just stared at the wooden table. Dick leaned forward and almost got into Jason's face. He growled, "because your opinion matters to him, Jason. No matter how much you deny it, you're his brother. And you're my brother. He cares what you think of him, and like a normal teen does, they often take the word of their siblings over a lot of other people's words. When you said Bruce is dead, it hit him hard."

Jason hissed, "you told him Bruce is dead."

Dick shook his head, "here's the difference. I said there is a chance that Bruce is dead. A chance. You pretty much told him that Bruce is gone and there is no chance what so ever of finding him."

Jason glared at his older brother in frustration. Dick sure did know how to make anyone feel like an ass. Jason shook his head, "get out. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Before Dick left he looked at Jason and said, "you know…you made him cry. You actually made Tim cry. Tim never cries. So congratulations, Jason, you made the unbreakable Timmy…break."

Jason didn't even looked at Dick as the man walked out. Once Dick was gone Jason grabbed the beer bottle that had been next to him and stood throwing it against the wall. It shattered and he breathed heavily glaring at nothing in particular.

Great…just great. Jason shook his head and muttered, "Dick…you are such an asshole."

* * *

Tim woke up on the couch in Dick's apartment. His face was sticky with the tears he had been crying…he remembered crying and falling asleep. Where was Dick? He wasn't here. Nope, definitely not…

Tim sat up quickly and looked around. It was really quiet. It seemed to be about midday outside. Silently, Tim stood from his place on the couch and walked to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

He saw his reflection and touched his cheek. There was a large bruise on it. Purple and ugly looking. Tim grimaced in pain as he pressed on it. It was sore, but nothing worse than he's gotten before. He left the bathroom and grabbed a grey hoodie. Silently he pulled it over his head and put his arms in the sleeves. Then he got his utility belt. Never leave the house without it. He was always taught that by Bruce… He shook his head and put on some shoes and left the apartment.

He had his hands in his pockets when he exited the building. He walked down the street watching the people that were wrapped tightly in coats walk by. His breath puffed in front of him as he walked in oblivion. He didn't know where he was going. He just needed a good old fashioned walk.

Well…we don't always get what we want…

Tim walked by a few alley ways when he heared a girl's voice scream, "help!"

He stiffens. Silently he looks at the alley next to him. It's dark from the clouds that are overhead. Maybe it'll snow or something…

"Help! Please!" The voice screams again. This time it's followed by a different voice. The different voice sounds like a mixture of laughing and crying. Quickly he turned and ran down into the alley. He slipped a little on the ice from the puddles and then stopped in front of what he saw.

There he saw the two girls that lived in Dick's apartment building. One was crying and the other was rolling around laughing with a maniac shaped grin on her face. Tim recognized it immediately. Joker…

"What happened?" He asked kneeling next to the girl. He got control of the laughing one's limbs so she wouldn't hurt herself.

The crying girl sobbed, "w-we just took the b-bear from the toy store. M-Mama can't afford many toys. We were going to give it to our b-brother for his birthday. When she turned the nob on the back to make it s-sing…it…it sprayed her and s-she started rolling around l-laughing."

Tim nodded and took a deep breath, "turn around and close your eyes. I'll tell you when you can look, understand?"

The girl nodded and turned around covering her face. Tim pulled up his hoodie quickly and pulled out the antidote for the laughing gas. He sprayed it in the girl's face and stuck it back in his belt, recovering it with his hoodie. Soon her laughing stopped and she passed out with exhaustion.

"Ok, you can look," Tim sighed.

The little girl turned and gasped. Tim shook his head quickly, "no! No, she's ok. Don't freak out. I gave her a cure. She's going to be fine."

The girl nodded and quickly wrapped her arms around him. When she pulled away, she held out her hand and grinned a smile. She was missing two teeth. "My name's Carmen, that's my sister Cassie. We're both six. We're twins."

Tim nodded and shook her hand, "my name's Tim…I'm fourteen."

Her jaw dropped, "so you're almost a grown up?"

Tim laughed, "no…not really. I like to think so sometimes. But, I'm really not. I only just turned fourteen about a month ago."

She shrugged, "well, you're a grown up to me. You can be a superhero now. Like Batman, or Robin!"

He had to ignore the burning sensation from the name Batman, and forced a smile. "How about I help get your sister back home?" He asked trying to change the subject.

Carmen nodded and Tim quickly said, "but, you have to tell your mom your sister just fainted because she was hungry or thirsty. She can't know what happened here."

Carmen nodded and crossed her heart. "Cross my heart, hope to live."

"What?" Tim asked.

She shrugged, "Mama didn't like us talking about dying, so Cassie and I changed the words."

Tim laughed a little, "that's creative, now come on. Let's get you two home."

They stood and Tim leaned over picking up Cassie bridal style. With that, they left the alley way.

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	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Dick returned home, only to find Tim gone. He searched the apartment top to bottom before walking back towards the door. His heart was pounding. What if Tim had gone and done something stupid?

He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. He stopped suddenly when he ran into someone at the door. They yelped and fell on the floor with a thump. Tim. Dick sighed in relief and helped his brother stand. "Tim, where did you go?" Dick asked.

Tim shook his head, "listen! I found something, come see."

He walked into Dick's apartment and reach into his hoodie pocket, pulling out a bear. Dick stared at it and asked, "uh, what's so important about a bear?"

Tim shook his head, "watch what happens when I turn the knob to make it sing. Cover you mouth and nose, and hold your breath."

Dick nodded slowly and did so. Tim used his free hand to cover his face and held his own breath. He used his other hand to turn the knob on the bear's back. It made a dinging sound and out of its nose shot a puff of gas.

Once the gas cleared Tim let go of his face and Dick did the same. Dick asked, "what was that?"

"Laughing gas, Joker's laughing gas to be exact. Your neighbors, Cassie and Carmen took this bear from a toy store. Cassie got sprayed with it. I gave her the cure and brought her home to her mom who thinks she was just dehydrated."

Dick ran a hand through his hair and asked, "this is in toy stores?"

Tim nodded, "I googled it. It's called The J. Bear. I'm pretty sure you can guess what the J stands for."

"Of course," Dick mumbled.

Tim walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a plastic bag. Gently he picked up the bear and stuck it in it and zipped it shut. "Ok, that should do it. But, these things are all over the city, maybe even the country. If to many kids buy these…" He trailed off looking down.

Dick nodded, "we'd have a problem."

"We should call Jason and tell him what's happening," Tim said.

Dick raised an eyebrow, "why do we have to tell Jason?"

Tim shrugged, "he has just as much to do with this as we do, Dick. Call him, I'm going to look something up on the laptop."

Dick sighed and grabbed the phone. He pressed the digits and listened to it ring…

"_Hey Dickie Bird. You find somethin' or want to yell at me some more?" _Jason's voice asked.

"Funny, anyway we did find something. Those bears that you and Tim saw the other night are in toy stores across Gotham and even might be all over the country. They shoot out laughing gas. We need you here now," Dick explained.

"_I'm touched. Luckily I'm close by. I'll be there in a few minutes," _dial tone.

Dick pressed the end button and walked into the living room. Tim sat on the couch with his laptop on his lap. He stared at it closely as if trying to figure something out. He looked up when he heard Dick come and said, "I think I found something. There's an address to where these things are being made. A warehouse on the East side. The Joker must want us to find him if he put the address in easy sight. Did you call Jason?"

Dick nodded and cleared his throat, "you don't seem mad at him anymore."

Tim looked up and but his lip before saying, "I was never angry with Jason, Dick. I was just freaked out about what he said. I was never mad at him though. I deserved the bruise I got. I shouldn't have called Jason a liar. It's my fault. So of course, I'm not going to be angry with him. He did save my life after all. It's hard to be angry with someone after they save you."

Dick nodded and jumped when there was a knock from the balcony window. He walked over and opened it, knowing it was Jason. The man walked in out of the rain and asked, "you find something?"

Tim explained everything to Jason who listened intently. Once he finished he nodded and said, "well, let's go. We don't have time to mess around."

Dick and Tim nodded. They changed into their costumes and all three brothers slipped off the balcony and flew through the cold night rain. Maybe the would find Bruce…Maybe…

* * *

They arrived on the roof of the warehouse only minutes later. Tim couldn't help the way his heart was beating. A warehouse. The fire…the fire was at a warehouse last time. And the bomb. What if…

He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Alright, how are we going to handle this?" Tim asked his brothers.

Jason shrugged, "I was just going to go in."

"And storm the place? Jason that almost got us blown up last time," Tim hissed.

"Well, it didn't," Jason replied.

"Guys stop, look," Dick whispered pointing into the window of the warehouse. Under them, through the window, they saw a chair in the middle of the room.

Tim shook his head, "that has to be a trap."

"Traps are made to be set off," Jason said. Even though they couldn't see under his helmet, they knew he was smiling.

"Are you nuts," Dick asked.

"A little," Jason answered before opening the window and climbing in.

Tim tried to grab him, and hissed, "Jason, stop!" But he wasn't fast enough. Tim shook his head and looked at Dick. Both followed Jason.

They landed next to Jason who was in a crouched position behind some crates. They saw Batman's body lying limply in the chair, unconscious. Tim looked and Dick and asked, "should we just risk it? Just go out there and see what happens?"

Dick shrugged, "I don't see anyway around it."

All three stood and slowly crept to the middle of the room. Tim got there first and pushed Batman's head up. He was unconscious, but Tim couldn't deny that this was Bruce, even if his face was covered by the cowl. He was breathing steadily, which was a good sign.

Quickly, Tim reach behind Bruce and started working on the bindings. All three of the brothers froze suddenly when a laugh erupted through the warehouse. Jason felt his blood turn cold. All of theirs did. But, Jason's especially.

"Took you long enough little birdies!" An evil voice cackled. They saw the owner slowly walk out of the shadows.

"Joker," Dick growled.

The bleached skinned man laughed again, "yes big bird, it's me! Your old friend! I see the little birdie is still alive, oh and the cooked birdie too."

Jason made a motion to step towards him, but Tim quickly grabbed his arm to stop him. The Joker always had a plan, and pissing Jason off is most likely one of those plan. Tim whispered, "he's just toying with you. Calm down."

"Oh yes Hoodie, I'm just toying with you. Haha! Remember that last warehouse! It was such fun wasn't it! Especially with the crowbar!" The Joker laughed.

It took both Dick and Tim to keep Jason back with time. Dick with an arm pressed in Jason chest and Tim with both arms wrapped around Jason's large one.

"Shut up you crazy son of a bitch, I'm going to blow you damn head off!" Jason yelled.

Tim knew Jason was letting his anger get the best of him. The Joker tsked, "is that anyway to treat your host? Anyway, I'm guessing you found my little present I've been shipping all over the country. J. Bears. Fun little things, aren't they? It'll give every kid a smile!"

Dick shook his head, "not if we take your little product off the market, Joker."

"Oh, I don't think you will, not after tonight. Hahahaha!" Suddenly he pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The moonlight coming from the window suddenly disappeared as all the windows were covered with a sheet of metal. Tim's ear that had surgery could hear a slight ticking from the corner of the room. He looked over quickly and his eyes widened…

A bomb…

All three saw it and the Joker laughed, "we're all going out with a bang!"

Tim instantly started working on Bruce bindings while Dick ran over to try and disarm the bomb. Tim looked up and saw Jason advancing on the Joker. "Hood! Stop!" Tim yelled as Jason pulled out a gun.

"Why, Robin? Don't you understand that everyone would be much better off if this psycho was dead?" Jason asked. Tim glanced at Dick who was busy with the bomb.

Quickly he shook his head, "Hood, please, don't do it. I know what he did to you was horrible. And what he's done to so many others is just as horrible. But, you have to understand, killing him is just stooping to his level. It make you just as bad."

"You sound like a child," Jason growled.

Tim shook his head, "that's because I am one. I'm not an adult like you, even though I like to think so. But, in a way, you never really got to grow up, did you? You're still the same teenager that was scared that night. Afraid no one was going to find you. You're still that kid."

"Shut up!" Jason yelled squeezing the gun. The Joker just laughed watching the two bicker.

"No! I won't because you need to hear this! Sure, killing him is the simplest thing to do, right? It's so easy just to pull a trigger and get rid of the problem right then and there. But, don't you understand? It's what he wants. He wants someone to kill him! It means he's won. The day you first killed someone…that was the day he won with you. Because he made you this. Don't give him the satisfaction, Hood. Just don't…it's what he wants from you," Tim pleaded.

Suddenly Jason let out a angry yell and slammed the back of the gun into the Joker's skull. The evil man fell over unconscious. Tim let out a sigh of relief and looked over at the bomb. Ten seconds.

Dick's fingers moved hastily around trying to shut the bomb down. _"Ok…one wire needs to be cut, one more. Red…or blue. Damn, I should have paid more attention when Bruce was teaching me this."_

He sucked in a deep breath and snipped the red wire. The clock on the bomb suddenly stopped and he breathed a sigh of relief. He called behind him, "it's off."

Tim relaxed and went back to working on the ropes that had Bruce tied up. Jason walked over just as Tim finished. Tim looked up at Jason and whispered, "it was the right thing to do…you know?"

Jason shook his head, "I don't think so. But, maybe one day."

Dick rushed over and helped haul Batman out of his seat. He was still breathing, but oblivious to the world. Tim couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips. Safe. Bruce was safe.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Tim sat in his bedroom of the manor. It had been two days since they had brought Bruce home. He hadn't woken up yet. Tim also hadn't seen Jason since the warehouse, he couldn't help but worry about him.

He silently flipped through his book, scanning the pages. He wasn't actually reading it. He was to preoccupied by thought. He jumped suddenly when he heard a knock at his window. He looked up and saw a figure. Jason.

Tim smiled and jumped from his bed and ran over to the window. Jason sat on the window seal and asked, "how's the old man?"

Tim shrugged, "Dr. Leslie said he should wake up anytime now. Do you want to see him?"

Jason shook his head, "no. I just came to ask you something."

Tim sat down on his bed and nodded, "sure, what?"

"Why? Why do you think it's the right thing to do to keep the Joker alive? After everything he has done," Jason asked quietly.

Tim shrugged, "because…if you kill someone…you just realize how easy it is to do it. One kill leads to another. Then another. And before you know it…you're just as bad as the Joker. You're killing people because it's easy and you may even begin to enjoy watching your enemies suffer. I don't want to be the Joker."

"You want to be Batman," Jason said simply.

Tim shook his head, "no…not him either. I don't know what I want to be actually. After my parents were murdered…I wanted to be something bigger. A light…a symbol. Bruce is a symbol. But, I don't think I can be _that _symbol. So…I don't want to be Batman. I want to be me. Whatever _I _am…that's who I want to be. Maybe one day I'll figure out who I am."

Jason stared at the floor silently. Tim asked, "why didn't you come back?"

It took a few moment for Jason to answer, "because I didn't need to come back. You were Robin. And…I didn't like how Bruce was doing things. I don't think you get very far without killing, Tim. Because, all he's doing is waiting for The Joker to escape again, kill a few more people, then locking him back up. Maybe you'll understand one day, kid. You're still young. There's a lot you don't understand right now."

Tim watched as Jason stood and walked turned to jump out the window. "Wait!" Tim called.

Jason turned slightly and asked, "what?"

Tim bit his lip and whispered, "you know…you're still family right? Dick and I are your brothers, even if you don't want to think so. And family…family is forever, Jason. Remember that…please?"

Jason just nodded and silently left through the window. Tim sighed and rubbed his face. Suddenly, he heard Dick's voice call, "Tim! Bruce is awake!"

Tim smiled and ran out the door and down to the cave where Bruce was. When he got there, he saw the man sitting on the metal table talking to Dr. Leslie, Dick, and Alfred. Tim quickly walked over and was surprised to see one of Bruce's rare smiles.

"So what happened while I was out?" He asked Dick and Tim.

Tim had to stifle a laugh, "oh…you know…the usual."

**THE END**

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